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Paying close attention to tail movements can reveal a cat's mood

Keeping tabs on a tabby's tail can help pet owners understand their cat's behaviour much better.

But you also must take into account the cat's body language to fully understand what they are thinking about, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine's Carlos Siracusa tells National Geographic.

A tapping tail while a cat is napping is "relaxed overall but paying attention to something happening around him, a sound or movement," said Siracusa. If the cat is actually sleeping, it could mean the cat is dreaming.

However, an alert cat that is whipping its tail could suggest nervousness and potential aggression. You would be wise to not touch the cat, Siracusa said.

A tail that is straight up with a curved tip means a cat is being friendly, while an aggressive cat may have its tale straight up.

A relaxed cat will "carry his tail in a neutral or low position," adds Siracusa, while a downward curve can mean defensiveness.

Although figuring out tail movements and what they mean can be a bit tricky, cat's legs tell owners what is really going on.

When a cat darts from one room to another for no apparent reason, sometimes called "the zoomies," it may be due to accumulated arousal, frustration, fear, or pent-up energy, said Siracusa.

In their natural habitat, cats would be climbing trees and chasing prey if they weren't cooped up inside a home, which is low on stimulation.

And cats are more active at dawn and dusk, while the rest of the day they are storing up energy, usually by sleeping or dozing off.